Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Part 6-Episodes 22-26

It’s zero hour and Tokyo is now fully under Galatea’s control.  With the fate of not just their loved ones, but all mankind hanging in the balance, Priss, Linna, Nene and Syllia dawn their hardsuits for one last battle.  What starts in the streets of Tokyo will head to the stars themselves and Galatea has all cards in hand.  Not only does she have an army of Boomers, she also can take over the Knight Sabers themselves.  It’s an all or nothing final gambit and Priss might be the only one who can end this nightmare for good.

This is a hard finale to grade.  On the one hand, this will feed into my overall final thoughts on the series as a whole, as it usually does.  But on the other, I don’t want it to cause…well…the finale kind of sucks.  It starts off well enough but the last two or three episodes are when everything kind of goes off the rails, more than it already has, and kind of struggles to sound important while also trying to deliver an action packed ending.  It gets shuffled, has some good moments, but in the end I was left scratching my head and sighing…this could have ended better.

When I said a couple weeks back that the girls would be fighting skyscrapers from now on…I would rather they’dve fought something more their size and speed but just a bit stronger.  Nope.  Galatea needs to continue to be the ultimate cybernetic pain in the ass by merging with the central tower and become a giant modest enough to keep it’s cyber boobs covered.  From here on out, Galatea decides to use existential monologues as her final weapon of choice and maybe one or two Boomers (and occasionally Metroids apparently).  Oh and she moves into space…cause we needed to end up there eventually.  I’d rather Priss have a final duel with her in Tokyo while Galatea was her sexy grown up version, looking a bit like Madame Hydra from Agents of SHEILD rather than Syllia.  This got too big, too fast and yet feels so underwhelming.

Oh and Syllia?  After the Sabers fail to take out Galatea on Earth, she is so beaten down that she doesn’t even go with Priss, Linna and Nene to finish her off.  I can understand her being distraught over Mackey’s sacrifice.  But Nene was more shaken than she was and Nene still went off to save the world while Syllia just finally steps away.  Normally I wouldn’t complain about this, I’ve never believed Syllia should have been out in the field anyway cause she’s so mentally scarred.  But this close to the finish line?  I think she needed to be there for once.  Instead, Priss, Linna and Nene battle the literal mountain and eventually, clones of themselves.  I liked this, as brief as it was.  I think that Galatea should have pulled this card a ways back and had the Sabers fight duplicates of themselves.  It could have opened up new doors to their personal struggles and given them some good, recurring foes.  Sadly, the one and only appearance of the doppleganger Knight Sabers is wasted here, but again is still kind of effective.

The final battle itself ranged from bizzare, to over the top to…well just plain creepy.  For whatever reason, the animators decided to highlight the fact the girls are all butt naked underneath these new Hard Suits and we frequently saw them in all their nude glory from within several times (especially at the end with Linna, Nene and Priss all alive on a beach, or the desert in Priss’ case, with no underwear).  When the Galatea station began to overtake their suits, latching onto them with evil wires, we kind of crossed into Hentai territory a bit…again, is this supposed to be that kind of show?  They certainly had plenty of this in earlier episodes but her it got a bit too much.  Oh and you can tell this show loves The End of Evangelion.  Cause from a giant nude Cyber Lady to the image of wings on Priss’ now destroyed Hard Suit on the Earths surface, plus Priss’ Hard Suit turning into a berserker dog Boomer, the Easter Eggs were everywhere and im not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.

In the end, Galatea was about as memorable or interesting as the rest of the villains…not very.  When it all came down to it, she just wanted to take over the world for Boomers with a very warped philosophy.  It became tiresome and I was begging for Priss to put her out of my misery.  As ridiculous as the premise became, thankfully Priss did just that.  And you know what, im glad.  I know I said Syllia should have been here but I’m glad it was Priss who managed to get the killing blow in.  Priss has gone from a loner who only cared about saving people for money to becoming a full blown heroine in her own right.  She wasn’t going to let the past keep her from doing what she needed to do, which Syllia probably would have done.  And honestly, cudos to Linna and Nene both.  Nene got the girls the info they needed to survive the battle and make it back to Earth and Linna was the never ending sense of hope to both girls.  Bless you Leon for scoring with Priss…but Priss and Linna will always be the main (non existent) romance of this show to me.

Alright, ive egged the finale on enough for its shortcomings.  Was there anything good?  Plenty.  The scenes where the Sabers and their allies had a campfire with survivors from Tokyo was well done.  It gave us a chance to have the girls enjoy one last good time before things got bad again.  It sucks Linna never got anyone special in her life (again, a shame they never paired her with Priss).  Priss and Leon got some cute moments too, riding on her bike together and sharing a couple of well earned kisses.  I really liked Priss’ reasons for not liking the AD Police (they destroyed her favorite album during a Boomer attack she was in the middle of).  It shows more of the growth Priss has had over the shows run.  But the real heartbreaker is Nene and Mackey.  Nene has grown the second most after Priss, going from overbearing and annoying sidekick to “step sister” and confident hacker back up.  This is in plenty part thanks to Mackey, who himself has also evolved thanks to Nene.  It made sense he would speak to her one more time before sacrificing his memories to help the Sabers onward.  Short of “I love you Nene”, this was all the evidence you needed to see that Nene was the most important person in Mackey’s life, and they were both better for having each other around.

It's just a shame we don’t get to see much of a resolution to any of these good times and character arcs.  Priss, Linna and Nene are stuck (Naked) in various parts of the planet.  Leon’s in a bar.  And Mackey somehow gets his memories back following Galatea’s destruction.  That last parts fine I guess but it would’ve been better if we’d seen him reunite with Nene one more time.  Same with Priss seeing Leon again and making good on the promise for more romance.  They seem to leave the series on a note of optimistic uncertainty, almost Terminator 2-ish, when really…it just feels like it’s kind of stopping.  Given how overblown the finale was, I cant say I don’t agree with that cause at some points…I did just want it to end, which I haven’t said AT ALL about this show until this point.

So, that was Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.  How was it as a whole?  Well seeing as how ive never seen the original 80’s OVA’s (Crisis and Crash), I cant compare how this reimagining is the to the original.  On its own, it’s pretty great.  The animation is pretty consistent with nary a drop in quality (though the occasional CG element does appear to mess things up a bit).  The music is top notch cyberpunk rock, a sound I would definitely associate with this kind of setting.  The action was always welcome and always excellent.  The cast, for the most part, really carried this show more than the action or the mecha.  Priss, Linna, Nene, Mackey and Leon all had stellar scenes, together and on their own.  Priss and Nene had the most character growth but Priss never stopped being a bad ass.  Nene, however, evolved from pain in the ass to reliable teammember, so she gets an MVP award this season.  The weakest parts of the show were the villains and Syllia.  The villains never impressed, even when their threat became important.  And Syllia…ugh.  Her stubbornness at handling this whole Boomer crusade ended up making things worse and it doesn’t help her case that everytime Mackey liking machines or her fathers legacy came up, she broke something and went ballistic.  And she never got passed that, even when she let the girls in.  Syllia was stagnant and infuriating…my least favorite character of the series.

In the end though, the negatives are outweighed by the positives.  Good character dynamics kept this show going strong until it stumbled across the finish line.  If you can forgive that, then this is a title I’d definitely recommend.  What’s not to love?  Sexy women in sexy battle armor.  A soundtrack that compliments their nighttime activates.  Equal parts scary, action packed and sometimes very funny.  It’s cyberpunk at its (almost) finest.  Not quite as good as Ghost in the Shell.  However, if you’re a sentai kind of fan and looking for some Akira style action…the Knight Sabers are your ladies.

7.5/10

Next week, with the summer heat cranking up, we return to some familiar faces for some fun summer comedy…with gun totting teddy bear/mouse hybrids.  Sousuke Sagara and Kaname Chidori are back in Full Metal Panic Fumofuu.  See ya then everyone.

T5W#94-Top 5 Haikyu Characters

 

So recently, I began chatting with a new Otaku friend and found out she was cosplaying a character from a show called Haikyu.  I had heard the title before but often confused it with Kurokuro’s Basketball, or rather their uniforms look pretty similar.  Still, at this friends request, I decided to give it a shot and a week plus change later, I’m about halfway through the second season (out of a current three).  This show is the ultimate underdog tale, a bit more so the Free in some ways.  The strength of the team work involved by every single character is integral and each team member needs to improve their skills in their own way.  With a cast so large, it’s hard to pick just five, especially when you factor in the other schools.  Lucky for me, my Top 5 Haikyu Characters are all from the kick ass Karasuno High School Volleyball Club, so here they are.

 

#5-Kiyoko Shizumu

Funny enough, were it not for Season 2, Kiyoko would not be on this list.  Don’t get me wrong, she is as hot as the boys make her out to be.  In fact, they’re dead on with their evaluation: she is sexy as all know how.  Only she doesn’t do much in Season 1 besides being the only girl on the show and doing something in the background.  Season 2 has Kiyoko open up a heck of a lot more.  With the end of her time at Karasuno drawing near, Kiyoko steps up her dialogue and series activities (and apparently her sex appeal, she looks much better in Season 2 for some reason).  She recruits a protegee in Hitoka Yachi and teaches her a lot about the game and being friendly with the team.  Through these exchanges, you can see Kiyoko views this band of misfits as her brothers and will miss them all when she’s gone.  But she’s going to cheer them on a bit more and make sure they can last without her.

Oh who am I kidding, faults and all ive had with her, Kiyoko is smoking hot in uniform (I am weak and a welcome member of Tanaka and Nishinoya’s cheer squad for Manager Shizumu)

 

#4-Daichi Sawamura

Daichi was one of the first characters I found myself loving when the show began.  I really liked his mentor style, which mostly involves saying hurtful truths to teammates in a very polite manner.  He’s also hilarious when he gets upset, like wrath of God angry.  And yet he’s always dependable, always optimistic and a kind soul to his brothers.  But mostly I just live for the moments when he gets angry, you just know youre gonna get some sweet and hilarious reactions from the guys when that happens.

 

#3-Ryunosuke Tanaka

This guy is the best kind of big brother to have.  Tanaka is the constantly lit fuse attached to a powder keg you cant wait to see explode.  And thankfully, most of the time, when he goes off, it’s not cause his teammates might not be doing their best.  Actually, Tanaka has two kinds of set off moments: one for his opponents and one for his teammates.  You know he’s always going to be there for his teammates, even when Hinata pukes in his lap out of sheer nervousness.  While he hasn’t done it in a bit, Tanaka also has a hilarious tendendcy to tear off his shirt and swing it victoriously after scoring a point.  He’s only done this like once in the show but does it ever so often in the eye catches.  Idk, I find it amusing.

 

#2-Hinata Shoyo

Haikyu is a Shonen series.  So it’s obvious a hyperactive main character like Naruto would be in your face a lot.  However, unlike Naruto or even Seikai from my least favorite Gundam series, Gundam Build Fighters Try, Hinata comes off as both a fusion of those two without becoming overbearing or obnoxious, well to me anyway.  In a way I cant explain it, he has all of their qualities but I should hate him, so why don’t I?  Maybe it’s because he’s actually good at the sport going into it but willing to learn new things.  Maybe it’s his comradere with Kageyama.  Maybe it’s his comedic timing.  Whatever the case, ive cheered for Hinata from the first episode and I haven’t found any reason to stop rooting for this kid.

 

#1-Tobio Kageyama

While I was tempted to put him and Hinata on the number one spot together, these two are still separate characters, though they seem to operate as a single unit a lot during matches.  And between the two, Kageyama has grown the most between the two.  At first, he was a brilliant but arrogant kid who expected others to follow him and he ended up pushing his old team away.  Through his time with Karasuno, and especially Hinata, Kageyama has begun to shake off that shameful past and live up to his potential.  He chides Hinata constantly, most times done with great comedic effect.  But every supposed insult is a critique he’s learning he needs to share to make Hinata, and himself, play better.  Kageyama isn’t one for feelings but you can tell he views Hinata as the closest thing he’s had to a best friend, someone who believes in his skills even when things get super rough on the court.  Hinata may be the unwavering heart of the team but Kageyama is the calm and never surrendering soul of Karasuno High’s Volleyball team.

 

Before I close out, I should give a shout out to the super awesome cosplayers Rinaca and Surine Cosplay.  You may have heard of these two.  They’re a really cool cosplaying couple who just got married last year (Supergirl married Power Girl I believe was the headline a lot of papers used).  I found progress photos of Karasuno Uniforms before knowing what they were and asked Rinaca about them.  Because of her, I found Haikyu (yep she’s the new friend I mentioned above).  This Top 5 is a thank you to both her and her lovely wife for getting me out of my usual mecha and action Anime comfort zone.  I’ll include links to their Facebook and Instagram pages below.  Please go check them out and bear witness to their amazing work.  As individual cosplayers, they are awesome.  Together…they are legends.

 

Don’t believe me?  They just cosplayed Widowmaker (Rinaca) and Tracer (Surine) from Overwatch…the results speak for themselves.

Rinaca Cosplay

Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/RinacaCosplay/

Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/rinaca_cosplay/

 

Surine Cosplay

Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/SurineCosplay/

Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/surinek/

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Part 5-Episodes 17-21

Galatea has taken over things at Genom and begins her plan for conquest with the ADP HQ…with Nene trapped inside.  Even after she is rescued, panic is sweeping the streets and soon, the once proud city of Tokyo is deserted.  The stage is almost set for an epic battle between the Knight Sabers and their true enemy.  But it will take more than these four beautiful maidens to win the day.  Can they convince their longtime adversaries in the ADP to side with them?  And will this union be enough to stop the greatest threat they’ve ever faced?

Jeez does this show know how to do a good job leaving you on the edge of your seat.  And actually, while I have some stuff to nitpick, ive been enjoying what ive seen from this new direction Bubblegum Crisis has taken.  Even my dislike for Syllia has died down…but not by much.

Picking up from last weeks epic cliffhanger, Nene and the remaining AD Police Officers got to play Resident Evil inside Police HQ.  It was hard to tell when they were fighting a hoard or the entire building when the Boomers started to fuse with the structure itself.  I’m guessing any and all future Boomer bosses will be the size of small buildings or skyscrapers from now on.  But before we got that big, we got to see a Hard Suit-less Priss storm the base with only her kick ass motorcycle.  All to rescue a girl she’s accepted as her “step sister at least”.  The end result was some of the best fun yet on BGCT2040 and showed that the girls may not have had their suits at the moment but they were far from powerless.  Special shout out to Nene, who stepped up to guide her remaining staff members to safety and even kick a little ass herself.

Also stepping up to the place were Leon and Daley, who rallied the troops to defend the city, at least for a little bit.  The dynamic duo had what’s probably their last hurrah together trying to take down a giant Boomer up close and personal.  It’s pretty bad ass and a bit of a shame since Daley kind of vanishes without much on an explanation.  Leon says he has a family but I doubt given the bond these partners share that Daley would leave when the city is in such chaos and the final battle is coming up.  Leon continued to grow and eventually he let Priss know how he felt, by kissing her on the helmet and promising she’d get a real one when she came back to him…freaking stud.  It was also good to see Leon accepted into the bros club of Knight Saber supporters as he shared a drink with Mackey, Nigel and Henderson (the butler) as the girls went off to war. 

Speaking of heading off to war, Nigel did a solid and actually provided the girls with new Hard Suits.  They’re not bad: shinnier, sleeker and a bit more revealing (they are totally naked underneath in these new ones).  Still they kind of operate the same as the previous models.  The only big new addition is that Priss can now fuse with her bike into a new Battleoid kind of mode (to borrow a term from Power Rangers).  All in all though, I’m glad to see the girls back in action and more united than ever.  Priss even accepted Nene as a friend and made peace with Syllia despite what she’s done.  This team is now a family because of Priss and she even has the love of Leon as an added bonus to her awesome life.  I liked Leon’s quip about being glad Priss owns more than just sexy leather outfits.

But, sigh, we gotta talk about the villains.  More specifically, we need to talk about how easily the “villains” were disposed of by Galatea.  Honestly, I’ve never been able to peg Rosenkroitz down and even though he’s killed in a manner similar to Syllia’s father (poetic?), it feels so underwhelming after building him up.  Same goes for Mason, who is part Boomer (huh?) and wants to see the world reborn with Boomers as the master race.  And how does the ever growing Galatea (called that btw) reward him for freeing her and giving her a chance to live…by throwing his ass into her growing, living fortress…cause yeah why not.  Like I said, it’s a bit underwhelming but still.  Did Mason really think he could control Galatea so easily?  He deserved his demise (if he’s even dead, I’m not totally sure actually).

Another bit that didn’t really work for me was the only now addressed love triangle between Syllia, Priss and Nigel.  It’s clear that Priss and Nigel seem to have some silent connection but Nigel clearly doesn’t want to act on it cause, well he loves his work more.  Syllia is connected to Nigel cause he worked for her dad and has pretty much used him to attain the power to take revenge on her fathers sins.  Seeing Syllia make a move on Nigel and Priss being upset with it didn’t really gel.  I guess that’s because this has barely been addressed throughout the series.  Still, Priss rebounded quick as this pushed her into the waiting arms of Leon…and yeah they’ve got the better thing, at least Priss doesn’t come with Syllia’s baggage. 

As the beginning of the end drew to a close, once again, we were given a killer cliffhanger, straight of out Aliens actually.  Boomers had invaded the Knight Sabers home base, using a structural weakness Syllia forgot to think about (WHO BUILDS A POOL THAT GOES THAT DAMN DEEP AND SHE SWIMS IN IT??!!)  Also, Mackey’s clearly losing more control to Galatea, I’ve got a feeling he might not make it (poor Nene).  So…how the hell are the girls getting out of this one?   

Your guess is as good as mine but it’s time for a pretty big miracle.  See ya next week for the finale coverage of Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.

T5W#93-Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 2010’s (so far)

(Each decade throughout history brings about a new legion of Otaku.  While we’ve seen a huge boom in the last 20 years or so, incase you haven’t noticed I tend to go back a little further with certain titles.  My beginnings in Anime go back to the early to mid 90’s with some titles even coming from the 80’s themselves (when I first saw Voltron I never knew it was Anime in origin).  Well, now that Gundam Month Mark II is all over, it’s time for another month long event for the blog.  Only this will be exclusive to T5W.  For the next few weeks I’ll be looking at the last four decades: the 80’s, the 90’s, the 2000’s and the 2010’s so far and selecting my Top 5 Favorite Titles from each decade.)

We’ve traveled across three decades so far and now, we’re almost caught up.  The 2010’s still have time to give us more amazing titles, than they already have.  So now comes the toughest list of all…well they’ve all been tough but right here I had a list of almost 10 that I had to wither down to 5, not easy.  And what my Top 5 Favorite Anime Titles of the 2010’s (so far)?  Let’s find out.

 

#5. Free

Yeah, yeah yeah I know, I know, it’s Free.  I’ve yacked on and on about it in the past and guess what, I still stand by it.  Yes it’s easy to play the “Ship Game” with everyone (I’ve narrowed it down to Makoto and Rei are in love with Haru while Haru is in love with Rin but Sousuke is also in love with Rin and Nagisa loves Rei…think that’s everything).  But there’s a reason ive gone back and watched this show a couple of times, both seasons.  The bonds are so believable through really good writing, genuine emotion and humor and some pretty damn fine animation (Kyoto Ani can do no wrong it seems).  There’s more Free on the way this summer, including a sequel, and im definitely looking forward to seeing the boys again…and Gou, Gou’s totally cute.

 

#4. Ghost in the Shell: Arise/Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie

Another decade, another Ghost in the Shell and this may be my favorite one to date.  I know im a bit in the minority on that opinion.  But I really like this take on Motoko and the origins of Section 9.  Sure that takes away the mystery from them but I like that this show tries to humanize them a bit from the more stoic and emotionless versions we see in Stand Alone Complex (though I do enjoy that show).  Motoko is my favorite.  She’s brash, impulsive and far from the woman she is down the line and I LOVE that.  She’s flawed, makes mistakes and has to learn (something I felt wasn’t happening too much in SAC, made her feel too much like a perfectionist elitist).  Arise was solid and The New Movie was an equally strong follow up to close out that storyline.  I don’t know if we’ll see more of this anytime soon but for what I got, this was the Ghost in the Shell I always wanted to see.  Plus Motoko’s Kaneda style outfit is the hottest outfit she’s ever worn.

 

#3. Fate/Zero

It’s always risky taking on a new franchise knowing very little about it.  For Fate/Stay Night, I knew of Saber and Rin but not much else beyond their sexy character designs.  So when Fate/Zero debuted on Netflix, I decided to give it a shot and man am I glad I started here.  Unlimited Blade Works is beautiful but kind of irritating in the story department.  Fate/Zero is the total package of presentation, story, action, characters and…and GODDAMIT UFOTABLE WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE EVERYTHING LOOK LIKE GOD HIMSELF CREATED YOUR PROJECTS??!!!  Ahem, sorry about that but it’s true about everything they work on (and they’re doing Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel later this year, hell yes).  Fate/Zero is about as perfect a Fate show has gotten and its almost a shame I started here.  While I have seen and enjoyed other Fate entries, they haven’t quite measured up to Fate/Zero’s success.  It even has the best Rin story-as her older self, she’s the ultimate crush but as a kid, she’s the best little sister figure.

 

#2. Himouto Umaru Chan

Who would’ve thought I’d find my spirit animal in a chibified female Otaku on every adrenaline drug known to man?  From start to finish, I could never decide whether or not I loved Umaru or hated her.  On the downside, she’s greedy, works her poor brother to death and generally cares for nothing outside her fandoms.  On the plus side…she is exactly how I kind of wish I was (only as a dude): perfect at everything but a total bad ass nerd who chugs endless Soda, munches on mountains of chips and is master of Anime, Manga and Video Games (the scene where she breaks down in horror when the wifi goes down is exactly how ive reacted a few times in real life).  Himouto Umaru Chan might not paint the greatest picture of an Otaku but damn if it isn’t hilarious, feel good entertainment.  The theme song alone is enough to brighten your day and Umaru’s adventures trying to conceal her inner self have gut bustingly funny side effects.  A second season has been announced for this one and I’m more than ready for the return of my Hamster hoody wearing heroine.

 

#1. Your Name

For months I wondered why this movie was as good as the Second Coming of Jesus (if not better if you listen to some reviews).  And now I know why…unintentional blasphemes aside.  Your Name seemingly came out of nowhere into my Anime orbit and I was finally able to see it last month when it made it’s US debut, both in Japanese and in English.  The story of two starcrossed lovers trading bodies and getting into misadventures before unexpected tragedy strikes is one I really wouldn’t like if it had been made as a live action film (which I assume is coming in the next couple of years…I know you Hollywood).  But as an Anime, Your Name hit me right in the feels, making me experience a story that spoke to me on an unexpected level.  Even seeing it a second time and knowing what was going to happen, I was still crying cause I was rooting so much for Taki and Mitsuha and getting into their drama and the world they lived in and the music and the animation and…yeah just see this movie, however you can.  There’s a reason it is the greatest thing since sliced bread right now and after you watch it…you’ll known your own reason for why that is.

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Part 4-Episodes 13-16

The Knight Sabers began with Syllia Stingray’s crusade to rid Tokyo of rogue Boomers.  But Priss, Linna and Nene are about to discover there’s a lot more than that.  When the past begins to emerge, Syllia is determined to put an end to the curse of her fathers legacy, even if it costs the Knight Sabers everything they have.  Their bonds pushed to the breaking point, the heroines also have to contend with Galatea, a mysterious entity uncovered by the Genom Corporation.  Tokyo needs the Knight Sabers more than ever.  But will there even be a team left when Syllia is forced to tell them the truth about Mackey, their weapons and her past?

You know...I get that a plot has to develop and be there to stretch out a 26 episode series.  But still…Syllia could have avoided jumpstarting the Apocalypse if she had just been up front about her past to Priss, Nene and Linna from the get go.  But now the cats come out of the bag in the worst possible way and it’s all because of my least favorite character on the show doing the most stupidest thing I really shouldntve put past her to do.

Wow, that was a bit of a rant.  But in all seriousness this week established a new status quo for Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.  I wont say it’s a full blown reboot since things have been building slowly towards this, even if it hasn’t been totally clear.  But it looks like the time for stand alone, monster of the week stories is over.  It’s time to get down to the real business.

After a lengthy build up at the beginning of this set, the floodgates opened and all hell broke loose.  Syllia’s past was at the forefront, right down to the Akira style events that set the whole story in motion.  I do feel a little bad for Syllia being used as a lab rat by her father, who was a real nutjob trying to play God and he kind of got what was coming to him (I’m not totally heartless).  That still doesn’t really make her anymore likeable in my eyes.  She still tries to fix her family’s legacy all by herself and unleash her fathers old experiment as a result…oops?  And even after learning her lesson and telling the girls the truth, her attitude hasn’t changed: get with the program and she’ll handle it all herself.  COME ON!!!  To quote Rocket Raccoon and I kind of hope Priss says something similar, “EVERYONES GOT DEAD PEOPLE.  THAT’S NO REASON TO GET OTHER PEOPLE DEAD ALONG THE WAY!!!”  It’s funny how the only stable Stingray in Syllia’s family is the artificial one, Mackey.  He’s worried but he’s not chewing out everyone left, right and center declaring he’ll wage a one man war on Boomers.  He wants the team to stay together and wont fight without them…why isn’t he the one leading this team (behind the scenes, Priss is still field leader).

I’m kind of with Nene and Priss in their reactions to the truth about Syllia.  She flat out lied to them and used them for her own means without giving them the full details.  Again, things might’ve gone a bit smoother now if she had opened up.  The fact Priss and Nene both quit because of Syllia’s withholding is pretty intense.  Were it not for the fact that Priss, Linna and Nene are a solid team, id say it’s good they just leave Syllia to her death wish.  But I think we all know that’s not going to happen.  With about 10 episodes left, it’s safe to say we’re going to see the team get back together at least one more time.  BTW, whereas I said that the earthquake to burry Galatea was very Akira, the revelation of the Hard Suits being Boomers is very Neon Genesis Evangelion in execution.

Nene might’ve been my favorite character this week.  I talked about her shock and distrust of Syllia but I haven’t talked about her reaction to Mackey.  Rather than dismiss him much like she did Syllia, Nene is convinced by Nigel to remember that Mackey isn’t just some clone or a Boomer.  And she embraces it, embraces Mackey.  Sure she may have been a huge annoyance in the first half of the series but Nene really has grown…unlike Syllia who refuses to grow up.  And it’s her friendship with Mackey that has helped shape her into a more confident and likeable person.  I wont say she’s my absolute favorite now.  That honor still goes to Priss and Linna, who spent a lot of time bonding this week.  I loved Linna telling Priss she’s not riding on her bike in a skirt cause of the way she drives and Priss agreed.  Priss will never be one to open up about her feelings, with Linna or with Leon (who finally revealed he’s known about her and the Sabers for a bit), but it was fun to see her enjoying life with a friend…and for the guys in the audience there was a lot of fanservice while the two got pampered at a spa.

As for Galatea…well the fact that she looks like Syllia (makes sense since her father based her design on her, twisted guy), doesn’t earn her immediate likeability points.  I’m curious how the hell Mason, who has more or less emerged as the true villain between him and Rosenkroitz (though it does suck to agree with Nigel that his decision to try and burry Galatea with the earthquake might’ve saved more lives in the long run), thinks he can control her.  The villains or would be villains have been as stupid as the benefactor of the Knight Sabers.  And really, I cant wait to see Mason get his, just to see it all fall apart in his face. Will Galatea stay a little girl or will we be facing a full blown adult version by the end?  Most rules of scifi make me think it will be the latter but we’ll see I guess.  If she does grow to look exactly like Adult Syllia…man that will ruin her day.

We ended the week on another great cliffhanger.  With the AD Police HQ now crawling with zombie Boomers and Nene trapped inside, it will be interesting to see if Nigel can pull out a miracle and give Priss and Linna new Hard Suits to save her.  The zombie Boomers may just be a taste of what’s to come in the back half of the series.  And if what was to be believed in the horrific flashback where Galatea killed Syllia’s dad and his staff and some cops…we haven’t seen the worst yet and it’s time to be very afraid.  All in all, this feels like a different series now but still an interesting and fun one.  Syllia may be frustrating and while I may not have a lot of sympathy for a grown woman who refuses to learn her lesson and be honest/open with others rather than break glass consistently, I definitely give a damn about everyone else.  For Priss, Linna, Nene, Mackey, Nigel and Leon, I will carry on to the end…plus all in all I still like this show a lot.

Special shoutouts go to Leon, who, as I mentioned earlier, did figure out Priss and her friends were the Knight Sabers.  He didn’t rat them out and actually managed to have a couple of cute moments to show Priss he was a decent guy.  Priss and Linna may be dead in the water (I cry) but I’m all for watching more of how this little romance might work out.